Combination spike-puller



.I. F. FENTON. COMBINATION SPIKE FULLER. APPLICATION FILED AUG-9, 1920.

Patented N 1921.

PATENT 'orrice.

JOHN IE. BENTON, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

COMBINATION SPIKE-FULLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed August 9,1920. Serial No. 402,430.

T 0 all to 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Joint F. FENroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Nyandotte and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Combination Spike-Puller, of which the following is a specification.

It is my experience that the practice of pulling railroad spikes by use of the customary steel claw bar, is tedious, expensive, and attended with more or less danger. Several men and considerable time is required to draw spikes from cross ties and, it frequently happens, that men are 1njured when the claw bar is used as a lever to pry the spike, in the event the claw slips from the spike. Moreover, the practice of settmg the claw bar to properly engage the spike, by means of sledge hammer blows at the heel of the claw, is also dangerous, since if the hammer is deflected from the bar the men holding the bar are liable to be struck by the hammer.

My invention relates to combination spike pullers and the objects of the invention are first, to provide a railroad spike puller which may be cheaply constructed and operated by a single man or person quickly and without danger of injury, second, to provlde a combined wedging and lever or prying device of this character having facility for d 'awing spikes by wedging and prying the same from cross ties or other timbers and, third, to provide the device with a fulcrum block usable when the same is employed as a lever.

I attain these objects and other advantages by means of mechanism and construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which-Figure 1, is a top plan view of a railroad structure, and showing my invention operable as a wedge to draw a spike; Fig. 2, is an elevation of the device, partly sectioned, and showing the contour of the inner end of the spike engaging foot and the fulcrum block carried by the spike puller; Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the spike puller operating as a wedge; Fig. l, is a side elevation of the same, and showing it operating as a lever; Fig. 5, is an end view of the same, and showing the spike engaging wedge portion and, Fig. 6, is aside elevation of the fulcrum block.

Similar numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings-the numeral 1, 1s a fragment of a railroad cross tie, 2, a fragment of a railroad rail and 3, a railroad sp ke used for securing the rail on the cross tie. The spike puller is pref erbly made of tool steel and comprises spaced apart wedge shaped toes 4:, adapted for closely receiving, between the toes, the shank of a railroad spike. The contour of the toes substantially describe a triangular figure, and the toes are formed integral with the enlarged end of a short bar 6, havlng the other end thereof enlarged to form a head or anvil 7, adapted for receiving sledge hammer blows. Between the toes 4, the mass of metal is formed to present a vertical plane section 9, and at the sides of the latter beveled sections 10, so that the section 9, shall continually hold the spike substantially vertical during the drawing thereof. A fulcrum block 11, which is likewise made of hardened steel or other suitable metal is flexibly connected with the bar 6, by a chain or cable 12, which is attached to eyes 13 and 1d; the former is secured on the shank or bar 6, and the latter is secured on the fulcrum block.

To draw a spike, the points of the wedges 4, are driven under the head of the spike, so that the shank of the spike shall enter between the wedges. When the shank of the spike shall be brought to bear on the shoulder 9, the wedging process is thereby ended and, thereafter, the bar is struck by a sledge hammer in downwardly direction, as is particularly shown in Fig. 3, whereupon, the spike is pried, the tool then operating as a lever and the heel of the wedge portion providing a fulcrum for the lever. VVhen the tool has been thus forced down on the cross tie the spike has been drawn out a corr sponding distance and, at this time, the fulcrum block 11, is placed beneath the heel of the wedge portion, either on its upper side or on any of the edges thereof, thereby providing a suitable fulcrum for any of the prying stages. When the wedging process is ended by the shoulder 9, as herein above mentioned, and is succeeded by the prying process, the lowed edge of the shoulder 9, is turned upward and holds the spike in vertical alinement during the prying process.

The provision of triangular shaped wedges allows the tool to incline upward in the wedging of the spike, thus providing opportunity to use the tool as a lever after the spike has been wedged to the limit.

Having described my invention what I claim is A spike puller, consisting of a lever having a claw end and provided within the L0 claw with a bumper, said bumper comprising a centrally located plane portion extending vertically of the claw and terminating in beveled side portions, the outer ends of the beveled portions forming with the claw end of the lever rigid fulcrums.

Kansas City, Missouri, August 3rd, 1920.

. JOHN F. FENTON Witnesses:

GooDwIN CRnAsoN, E. L. MCKAY. 

